Dr. Dre: Hip-Hop's First Billionaire

How Did Dr. Dre Become Hip-Hop's New King Of The Mountain?

Kanye calls himself Yeezus, but, monetarily speaking, there are others who come before him. Jay Z has 99 problems, and now having a bank account that's dwarfed by one of N.W.A's founding members is one.

For well over a decade, hip-hop fans have been clamoring for Dr. Dre to Detox — which would be the LA icon's 3rd solo studio album. This record has become the rap world's white whale, the hip-hop version of Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy. Each year, rumors about recording sessions begin to swirl. But as was proven over the past 24 hours, Detox be damned, the good doctor has had far more lucrative fish to fry over the past few years, namely Beats Electronics — a company Dre co-founded alongside music mogul Jimmy Iovine.

There have been several pretenders to the celebrity headphone throne - 50 Cent, Ludacris, Sean Combs and the Bob Marley estate to name a few. But as they say, "often imitated, never duplicated." Since Beats was founded back in 2008, the company's stylish ear wear has become the standard bearer for which other headphones are judged. And now, that brand has been taken to an entirely new level. In fact, Dr. Dre himself has been taken to an entirely new level.

What level, you ask? Billionaire level, b*tch!

Yes, Dr. Dre is now officially hip-hop's first billionaire. Yesterday Financial Times broke the news that he and Iovine were finalizing a deal to sell Beats Electronics — popularly referred to as Beats by Dre — to Apple. The deal is reported to be worth a simply staggering $3.2 billion, making Dr. Dre, real name Andre Young, the richest man in all of hip-hop. Everyone is talking about this one.

Kanye calls himself Yeezus, but, monetarily speaking, there are others who come before him. Jay Z has 99 problems, and now having a bank account that's dwarfed by one of N.W.A.'s founding members is one. Drake started from the bottom, and now, well, in terms of his finances, he's here — and here ain't the top, kid. Dr. Dre, whose stake in Beats is said to be somewhere around 20-25%, is now the reigning king in a culture where excess helps and money more than matters. This deal would easily make Young's the most enviable bank account in the rap world, besting former champ, Diddy, by $100 million.

And how did the Grammy winning rapper, producer and overall hip-hop success story celebrate this monumental deal? A man after my own heart, Dr. Dre did it the exact way I would — by drinking Heinekens with Tyrese Bedford! In this very NSFW clip posted on Tyrese's Facebook page just hours after this massive deal, Dre does a little well-deserved boasting.

Dr., you absolutely deserved those Heinekens, my friend. And yours isn't a deal in which people are astounded. In most cases, I think it's universally regarded as being well-deserved. Go to any airport in any country around the world. When you're there, look around. I guarantee you'll see at least one person rocking a pair of Beats headphones within the first 40 seconds of your search.

For being an innovator in the field, for helping to create some of the sleekest speakers and headphones in history, and, most importantly, for writing "Nuthin' But A G Thang," thank you.